Erling Haaland scored twice, helping Norway advance to the 2026 World Cup knockout round
Erling Haaland scored two goals in Norway's 3-2 victory over Senegal, thereby helping the Nordic team enter the knockout round of the 2026 World Cup.
Erling Haaland added two goals to his World Cup tally as he helped Norway to a 3-2 win over Senegal on Monday night, officially qualifying for the knockout round of the tournament. Norway had a hard-fought but important victory, maintaining a perfect record in Group I with France.
In the first half, although somewhat chaotic, coach Stale Solbakken's team found the opening goal thanks to defender Marcus Pedersen, who came on as an early substitute and punished a bad kick from Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly. In the 48th minute, Erling Haaland showed his excellence when he received the ball from Martin Ødegaard's through ball, increased the score to 2-0, scored his third goal of the tournament and officially became the player with the most goals in Norway's World Cup history.
Senegal responded strongly, and winger Ismaïla Sarr shortened the gap to help the African team revive hope. However, just five minutes later, Haaland scored again, restoring the two-goal gap with a skillful volley shot against the crossbar. This important goal increased the Manchester City striker's international scoring streak to 12 consecutive matches in official tournaments, and he has scored doubles in all six recent matches.
Although Sarr scored in stoppage time to create a dramatic finish, his final header went over the bar, leaving Senegal empty-handed and needing a big win over Iraq in the final group match to keep their hopes of progressing alive.
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